1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an RPDL protein which is a novel transcriptional control protein, a process for producing this protein, a method of using the same, a DNA encoding the protein, and a gene analysis method using the DNA. The present invention finds applications in the pharmaceutical field.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many genes execute selective expression, for example, at a specific time or site or when a certain stimulus has been given. The expression of the genes involves two important steps consisting of producing a mRNA on the basis of information stored in the DNA sequence (transcription) and producing a protein by the action of the mRNA (translation).
It is becoming apparent in recent years that the transcription of genes in eukaryotic cells is skillfully controlled by a plurality of proteins known as transcriptional control proteins.
Analyzing in detail the mechanism of the above transcriptional control is a task extremely important from the viewpoint of learning the selective expression control mechanism of genes, namely, the cell differentiation or amplification or various gene activities and ultimately the fundamental system relating to, for example, life and death. It is expected that the analysis of the mechanism of the above transcriptional control would break through difficult problems of not only tumors but also other various diseases and abnormalities, and further, aging, dementia, obesity, etc.
For the elucidation of the transcriptional control mechanism, it is essential to achieve "understanding the material bases of associated factors (transcriptional control protein, etc.)", "understanding the interaction between such factors", "understanding the whole process through a plurality of interactions", and "working out a systematic understanding through commonality and diversity" [see Masami Horikoshi et al, Tanpaku-shitsu.Kakusan.Koso (Protein, Nucleic Acid and Enzyme), Vol.38, No.5, p.p.831-841 (1993)].
Studies on structural fundamentals such that some basic transcription factors recognize specific sequences of the DNA and bind therewith have been advanced with the use of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and the like. However, for example, the number of constituent factor groups is so large that elucidation is still being awaited in various fields such as the interaction between factors, the interaction of the factor with a component of transcription initiation complex, such as RNA polymerase, and the commonality in the control mechanism between viruses, bacteria, yeasts and human. Therefore, a marked progress of the analysis described above based on the recent gene isolations, especially, the cDNA clonings of factors associated with the human transcriptional control mechanism is being expected.
Known transcriptional control proteins include those specific for some genes and those commonly acting on a wide variety of genes. From the viewpoint of function, the known transcriptional control proteins include not only those capable of activating the transcription or inactivating the same but also those having both of the above capabilities [see M. Ptashne, Scientific American, Vol.260, p.p.40-47 (1989)].
Up to now, studies on eukaryotic cells in this field have been conducted with the use of yeast as the model from the practical point of view, and it has been suggested that the fundamental mechanism thereof applies to human cells as well. The transcriptional control protein not only commonly acting on many genes but also having both the functions of activation and inactivation is considered as being especially important and, therefore, it is apparent that the studies on the effects exerted by its mutation with the use of yeast only have reached a limit.
Accordingly, isolating a human gene encoding the above important transcriptional control protein and identifying the protein has an extremely important significance in that a marked progress can be realized in the direct elucidation of the transcriptional control mechanism of the cells of multicellular organisms having such aspects as development, differentiation and tissue, especially, human per se.